This study presents the Sex Trafficking Attitudes Scale (STAS), assessing cognitive, behavioral, and affective attitudes toward the sex trafficking of women and girls. Across two studies, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses revealed and confirmed six subscales: (a) Knowledge About Sex Trafficking, (b) Awareness of Sex Trafficking, (c) Attitudes Toward Ability to Leave Sex Trafficking, (d) Attitudes Toward Helping Survivors, (e) Empathic Reactions Toward Sex Trafficking, and (f) Efficacy to Reduce Sex Trafficking. Results showed support for convergent validity as the subscales were associated with related measures. The STAS holds promise to expand research and inform efforts to support trafficking survivors. © 2016, © The Author(s) 2016.

Scale validation sex trafficking Gender Sexual violence Human trafficking

girl human factor analysis survivor Factor Analysis, Statistical validation process statistics and numerical data sex trafficking Young Adult student Humans psychology attitude male reproducibility Reproducibility of Results Psychometrics standards human trafficking psychometry awareness gender exploratory research Sex Offenses Students devices factorial analysis sexual crime convergent validity Child